


Times With Our Elder

by PhantomPhan16, VicenteValtieri



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Spock Prime is younger than in the movies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-07 04:30:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15900924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomPhan16/pseuds/PhantomPhan16, https://archiveofourown.org/users/VicenteValtieri/pseuds/VicenteValtieri
Summary: Interactions with Spock Prime in the alternate timeline.





	1. Rescue Meeting-Spock Prime, Spock, Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy

The smoke burned their eyes and lungs as they coughed and tried to find a way out of the quickly spreading fire.

"Jim, we can't take much more of this!" coughed McCoy.

"We have to get out of the smoke!" Jim shouted above the roar of flames, "Just hang on!"

Spock pulled him back as a burning tree nearly fell on the young Captain. McCoy swayed and fell to his hands and knees, overcome by the smoke.

"Bones!"

Spock and Jim stumbled to him, nearly blinded by the smoke.

"There is no way out."

"There has to be."

Then, as if summoned by this last thread of hope, a tall figure came through the smoke. A tall Vulcan man, younger than Sarek and moving with a militaristic purpose. He looked briefly surprised when he saw them then his expression changed to a sort of... fond exasperation, as if he expected this. He picked up McCoy over his shoulders.

"Follow me, quickly!"

"Come on, Spock!" Jim pulled him along.

They ran after the stranger, almost as if bolstered by his own energy as he ran before them, dodging flames. He was calm as he led them, clearly a man who had been through worse than a fire.

"Where are we going?!" Spock shouted.

"There a is river to the south! We will be safe on the other side!"

He reeled back and threw up his arms to halt them as a huge tree fell in their path. The Vulcan changed course, now heading west in an effort to get ahead of the fire before it cut them off from the south.

Jim helped Spock along and both fought not to lose sight of their rescuer. They ran after the stranger, almost as if bolstered by his own energy as he ran before them, dodging flames. He was calm as he led them, clearly a man who had been through worse than a fire.

The fire raced ahead and roared behind them.

"Jump!" their rescued ordered.

"What?"

To their shock he proceeded to jump from the edge of the cliff they had reached. With the bulk of the fire baring down on the them Jim and Spock had no choice but to follow him. They plunged into the river below and surfaced.

"Where's Bones?!"

Spock looked around, and the older Vulcan broke the surface with the unconscious McCoy.

"This way!"

They swam after the older Vulcan and pulled themselves up on the opposite bank.

"Who are you?" Kirk questioned.

The man sighed, "I am... a man out of time, and it seems that here... time has been changed."

"What?"

He turned to them, and his eyes lingered on the younger Vulcan.

"I am Spock."

"...Bullshit," Kirk replied.


	2. Group Talk-Spock Prime, Jim, McCoy, Spock

Spock and Jim sat around the fire of the small home of the elder Spock. He was finishing tending to McCoy.

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine."

"I'm tough," McCoy tried to sit up again, "Dammit, Spock! I said I'm fine! It was smoke inhalation, not the flames or heat."

"You will lie down, or I will use a nerve pinch to make you," rumbled the older Vulcan.

"Great. I hate you."

"I've been told worse by your counterpart... and better."

His eyes softened, and the ghost of a smile played about his lips.

"The arguments we got into."

"Some things never change, huh?"

"In a way they did, and in a way they didn't."

"What happened to him? To... the other me?"

"I assume he's alive... probably trying to find me."

"Sounds like me. Probably need to bail your Vulcan butt out of whatever you've gotten yourself into... again."

"Most likely. He'd yell, threaten me, possibly hit me, then... well he'd forgive me."

"What were you going to say?" Jim asked.

Spock looked between his counterpart and McCoy.

"What?"

"... He'd kiss me."

McCoy groaned and pretended to vomit.

"Kiss you? I'm sorry, but... what?"

"The Leonard McCoy I left behind is my husband."

"...Woah."

Kirk's eyes widened as he looked over at his confidants. The younger Spock looked rather startled himself.

"When I was pulled through the black hole I was torn from a husband, two children, and a newborn grandchild."

"Woah. Spock... We gotta get you back home."

Kirk's eyes were wide as dishes.

"Unforunately, Jim, I wouldn't know where to begin attempting such a feat. I am not entirely sure how the black hole brought me here."

The young Spock and McCoy looked at each other, dismayed at all the elder Vulcan had lost.

"Well, you've got all of us, and we're going to figure it out," Jim decided, "But first, we need to get back to the ship."

"First you need to rest and recover."

He rose and began preparing a soup for them all, heating it over the fire.

"What is that?" McCoy sniffed.

"Wild onions, herbs, and meat. Spock, I know we're vegetarian, but here there is little choice in order to survive."

"I understand," Spock nodded.

He gave them each some soup in crude bowls he's shaped with clay he'd found.

"Eat and rest. I will keep watch."

He took a torch and a bowl before moving off a little way. The three looked at each other.

"This is weird, but I'm okay with that," McCoy commented, sitting up at last.

"We gotta figure out a way to get him home after this."

"Yeah. Definitely. Shoot, kid... Two kids, a grandchild, and his husband... He's gotta be reeling."

"And imagine how they must feel, how that... you... must feel, trying to find him."

"...I'm goin' to pieces just thinkin' of it, Kid."

Spock was quiet and sipped the stew. "Spock, how are you with all... this?" Jim asked.

"I am... processing, Jim."

"Well... at least tell us how to the soup is," said McCoy.

"It's... Nourishing," Spock replied.

Jim sipped it.

"Needs salt, but other than that tastes pretty good. Try it Bones."

McCooy sipped his.

"Not bad. Spock can cook - who knew?"

"Don't think this quite counts, Bones."

"Hey - it's wild coodking. It counts."

They finished their soup and settled down to try to sleep while the older Vulcan stood guard nearby.


	3. The Elder and the Doctor-Spock Prime, McCoy

McCoy sat up in the middle of the night and approached the older Spock.

"You should be resting, Doctor."

"I know, but I can't sleep. Let me keep the watch with you for a bit."

"What troubles you?"

"I'm just...  A bit shell-shocked. I mean, this is following right on the coattails of some huge events... And it's a bit much."

"I know. It's a feeling you will find yourself getting used to and almost expecting."

"...I never should have left Georgia."

"Do you truly regret it, or are you saying it because it seems like something you should be saying?"

"Both, I guess. I wish I was home. I miss Bluegrass and fried chicken and the people who aren't insane in my life."

"And if you were to go back you would miss this," He looked back at his younger self and Jim, "And them, and they would be lost without you. Even in a changed timeline, the three of you were still brought together, a bond that transcends time."

"Was it like that for you?"

Spock nodded.

"We spent so much time together on the Enterprise, and then do you know what we did during shore leave?"

"Spent it together?"

"Every time. We became almost a singular unit, knowing each other better than we knew anyone else on that ship. It felt natural, and when Leonard and I came together as mates Jim was beyond supportive and happy for us. It did not change anything between him and the two of us. Apart we felt each other's absence, together we felt whole."

"Huh."

McCoy sighed, looking down at his hands.

"Sometimes it feels like they could get along without me pretty easily. I'm not as fast or clever as Jim or as strong and intelligent as Spock. I just manage Sickbay - try and keep them from getting killed."

"And that is enough. When it began that how it was. You three are still in the beginning, but in the beginning that is enough. Knowing there is someone waiting to worry and take care of us. You will find each other's strengths and weakness in time, Leonard, and you will mold together. You won't realize it until later, of course, but it will happen if you let it."

"Great. Does it get easier to watch them throw themselves into danger?"

"No, nor will it get easier when you start to join them. There is no right or wrong answer to what I am about to ask, only an honest one. Would you give your life if it meant saving them? It's not a threat, I am merely curious."

"What kind of stupid question is that? 'Course I would. They're my friends."

"Then you are on your way. Your words are brave and comforting to hear, but they are words. There was time we would have said the same but hesitated to execute, and then came times we did not hesitate. Jim was trapped between dimensions with the fate of suffocation having insisted Leonard and I beam back first, my Leonard was tortured nearly to death for an Empath to give her life for his side to prove her people we were worth saving, and I... I was the one who did not entirely cheat death. I died saving them by restoring power to the Enterprise's Warp Drive and exposed myself to beyond lethal levels of radiation."

McCoy was silent for a long moment.

"...And yet here you are."

"Yes. With my essence stored in my mate's mind, leaving him in pain and slowly going mad, and my body restore on an unnatural planet that aged to destruction in a matter of days. Much was lost in the effort Jim gave to retrieve me, a science ship and her crew, and more deeply felt... Jim's own son died to protect me. Without his own selfless courage, I would have not lived to see my husband and children again. Do not resist that selfless part of your heart, Doctor. That is what will link you with them more than anything else, and what will teach my young counterpart better than any book or professor."

"...That's a lot to dump on a guy at three AM, Spock."

To his surprise the Vulcan chuckled.

"Consider it... payment... for all you are capable of putting them through. It will not always be you worrying about them, Leonard. They will worry and fear for you as well."

"Good. Maybe they'll figure out that actions have consequences," the doctor grumbled.

There was a soft, knowing little smile on Spock's face, just a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth, but it softened his usually stony face.

"It goes both ways. You may not be the exact same as we were, but you are still Leonard McCoy, James Kirk, and Spock. The things you will do, the risks you will take, the ways you will face and cheat death will astound you."

"...Hell, Spock. They already have."

And the two men lapsed into silence in the deep night.


	4. Talk With Myself-Spock Prime, Spock

"Tell me about them."

His young counterpart was stealthy and surefooted, Spock would give him that as he turned to the younger Vulcan.

"Hmm?"

"Your children. Their arrivals. Tell me about your family."

Young Spock watched his older self smile.

"Sariana is the older, conceived during Pon Far. She came into the world on a planet that we swore was paradise, at first glance. The natives there had no sense of love or children. They were fascinated by me and of course by my struggles in labor. Leonard put the fear of God into them as her arrival drew near, and the others with us kept them at bay. Except for Jim. He stayed in the hut with us, helping however he could."

"That does sound like our Captain," Spock gave a brief sigh.

"I wanted him there, we both did, for all I believe he did not wish to witness such an event," the elder chuckled.

Spock raised his eyebrow.

"...Was there ever anything between you and the Captain?"

"Not in that sense, but that is not to say there cannot be between you."

He looked at his elder, who gave him a knowing smile.

"I am you, and I am an experienced mother, Spock. I know more than you might think I do."

"...But if I act on my feelings for the Captain... How will that affect the Doctor?"

The elder cuffed his lightly.

"Your future is in motion, and you are not expected to walk the path I did. You can't. If your heart has chosen Jim, then so be it."

"I wish you could offer some kind of reassurance."

He was pulled close to the strong, warm body.

"Spock, do not fear making a mistake. Mistakes are part of life and part of growing in your own. Do not try to be me. Find yourself, and follow the pull if your heart, because I can guarantee that your true heart is not here,” he touched the young Vulcan's side, "It's resting in your chosen. My chosen was Leonard McCoy, but that does not mean he is your chosen. This is no longer my past, this is your present and your future. Shape it yourself."

Spock sighed and laid his own hand over the elder's heart as well.

"...I have never shown such emotion in a very long time."

"I know, and there is no shame in it, just as there is no shame in emotion, if there is balance. It took me far too long learn that in truth. You are on the path to learn it as well. Don't fear where it will take you."

"...I will try not to."

"That is all you can do, and all anyone can ask. Come. We must rest. The hour is late enough be safe at the fire. Most nocturnal predators have hunted and will not brave a flame now."

"The Doctor will be pleased."

 The Spocks returned to the campsite.

McCoy woke as the sky was lightning with dawn to find to the Vulcans leaning against each other, asleep. Who knew guidance would come from such a place and such a person? He almost envied Spock. He was doing something everyone wished they could, impart wisdom and knowledge to his younger self, and to his friend's and husband's younger selves.


	5. The Elder and the Captain-Spock Prime, Jim Kirk

Jim followed Spock through the forest. The older Vulcan had traps he wanted to check. Young animals were released as were any pregnant females.

"How old are you, Spock?" Jim suddenly asked.

"An interesting question. Why do you ask?"

"Curious. I mean, it might tell me how old I am."

He chuckled.

"I am sixty-three, Jim, and back home you are sixty. Leonard is sixty-six, with our daughter being twenty-five, and our son being fifteen. He was a bit of a surprise."

Jim whistled.

"Sounds like it. So... What am I doing while you guys are raising kids? Sailing the stars still in the Enterprise?"

"No. The crew and the Enterprise were retired, but you tend to come around for birthdays and holidays and spend time with our son, Stephen, and of us of course."

"Oh. So, they finally stick me behind a desk. I wish I had died on mission."

The Vulcan turned on him.

"Do not say such things!"

Kirk held up his hands in surrender, "Sorry!"

"With all you did you earned the right to retire, Jim. To be free of danger."

"Why would I want that, though?"

"Be the end, Jim, you accepted it. You were tired, we all were. We didn't like the idea of retiring, but we were tired and old. Much had been lost over our careers, and you... had just lost your son."

"...I had a son?"

Jim stopped briefly, eyes wide.

"Yes, and he was the one who could not cheat death. He died protecting myself and another officer from Klingons."

"...I had a son... And the Klingons killed him."

He sat down heavily.

"Jim, do not let the experiences of your counterpart color your own perceptions of things."

"'Course. If I have a daughter, I'll stop worrying."

He gave a crooked smile.

"Jim, as I told Spock last night, you cannot walk the paths we did, things are too different here. This is not our past but your present so shape your future yourself."

"Hope I can. ...Spock, what would you think... If you saw the other Spock with... Well, someone aside from McCoy."

"I have discussed it with Spock. Do not spend time worrying. You cannot affect my timeline. If you want to be with him then tell him."

"I think I will," Jim nodded, "Do you mind distracting Bones for a bit when we get back?"

"I'm sure I can manage something."

"Thanks. Let's hurry!"

Jim rushed ahead. Spock's low chuckle followed him out of the trees.


	6. The Elder and the Doctor 2-Spock Prime, McCoy

Spock touched McCoy's shoulder.

"Doctor, do you mind helping me gather dandelions?"

"Sure."

The Doctor and the older Vulcan walked off into the forest.

"Heh. Cute, aren't they? Dancin' around each other. Were you and my counterpart like that?"

"We had more insults," the elder smiled.

"Yep. I can see that."

McCoy took off his socks to dip his feet in the stream.

"So... what are your kids like?"

Spock smiled fondly, "Very like us, our son perhaps a bit too much. When Sariana was born it was on another planet, very primitive, and we were all unsure. My Leonard put the fear of God into the natives, who had never seen a pregnant person, let alone a birth."

"How did they not know what a pregnancy was?"

"A strange, advanced computer was somehow able to control everything, including their lives. They were centuries old and love and children had been forbidden by the computer, Vaal. So, I labored in one of the native's huts with Leonard and Jim at my side and the rest of the landing party keeping the natives out. Stephen was a surprise. He came ten years after Sariana when we weren't even trying."

"Kids tend to surprise folks," McCoy leaned on his knees, "...So, Jim was the third wheel in your timeline. I feel bad for him."

"Jim was there through it all as our fiercest supporter, my and Sariana's protector during my pregnancy and her two years aboard the Enterprise. He is their godfather and the only real uncle they know."

"Yeah, but according to you, he also never got married and his only son was killed. That's rough - watching your friends have a family and not having one yourself."

"It is. We had many talks with Jim, Leonard and I, especially after David died."

"Yeah. I can see that."

Leonard settled on the bank.

"You need not always be alone either."

Spock settled beside him.

"No, it's fine. I like my life. I like having space. And with Jocelyn in my past... and what she did... I don't think I want another."

"You and my Leonard aren't so different in that regard. When I told him I was pregnant do you know what he did?"

"What?"

"He fainted. Right there in the sickbay."

"Sounds like me," McCoy grinned.

"When he woke up he cried. He cried and kissed me."

Spock made a disgusted expression.

"It was very wet."

The younger McCoy chuckled.

"Sorry. Sounds... not very attractive."

"It was. You are and always have been very human in that respect."

"So, he-I delivered your daughter."

"Yes, and our son. Stephen was born at home, as impatient as his father to come into the world."

"Hey, he had good taste. Who knows where he would have been born otherwise?"

"Knowing my son as I do now... on a camping trip."

McCoy laughed for a very long time.


End file.
